We were going to start this comparison by counting all the new plug-in hybrid luxury SUVs fighting for your dollars. Unfortunately, we ran out of fingers. It’s a long list. BMW, Audi, Volvo, Mercedes, Lincoln, Land Rover, Porsche, and others are all in the fight, many with multiple entries. And more are on the way. 2021 is shaping up as the year of the plug-in hybrid luxury SUV.
BMW and Audi are both betting big on this technology. For the first time, they’re both offering plug-in hybrid versions of their popular compact crossovers, the BMW X3 and Audi Q5, and the similarities between the two new models are quite striking. They not only cost about the same, but they’re also about the same size and offer similar all-electric driving range. But which is best? Let’s examine the 2021 BMW X3 xDrive30e and the 2021 Audi Q5 55 TFSI e in key areas and decide.